In our ongoing video series Chef Michael Skibitcky, from The Culinary Institute of America, demonstrates how to make a recipe for the classic Middle Eastern eggplant dip Baba Ghanouj

Recipe

B aba ghanouj is one of those Middle Eastern dishes like hummus and falafel that seems pretty straightforward until you start to consider all of the variations in different countries and communities, and even from household to household.

At its most basic, this dip or spread is a purée of eggplant, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. It can be chunky or silky-smooth; sometimes the flavor is quite smoky, while other times it's mild. The garnishes can include mint, parsley, paprika, cumin, chili powder, pomegranate seeds, and chopped pistachios or other nuts. Even the spelling of the dish varies: It can be baba ghanouj, baba ghanoush, baba ghannouj, baba gannoujh, or baba ghanoug.

Baba ghanouj can be found throughout the Middle East, as well as in some Mediterranean countries (such as Greece), but according to Aliza Green's book Starting with Ingredients, the dish originated in Lebanon. Green also offers this on the name of the dish: "According to Clifford Wright, scholar and author of the monumental study of Mediterranean cooking, A Mediterranean Feast, baba means father, perhaps referring to the important place of eggplant as the "father of vegetables," and ghanouj means coquettish or soft, so that anyone who is enticed into eating it will be spoiled by how meltingly soft and good it is."

The baba ghanouj recipe demonstrated by Chef Skibitcky in our video calls for roasting the eggplants in the oven, but if you prefer a smokier flavor, you can also broil or grill the eggplant. Garnish simply with a drizzle of olive oil or try adding any of the toppings listed above (Chef Skibitcky likes to add parsley, cumin, and paprika).